This invention relates to a reading aid member having a code pattern which enables a user to easily and comfortably read the code pattern with use of a reading apparatus from a code pattern recording face on which data including at least one of audio data, video data, and digital code data is printed as an optically readable two-dimensional code pattern. The present invention also relates to a code pattern reading aid member containing a code pattern recording medium on which data including at least one of audio data, video data, and digital code data is printed as an optically readable two-dimensional code pattern such that a user can easily and comfortably read a code pattern with use of a reading apparatus from a code pattern recording face of a code pattern recording medium.
In recent years, various contrivances and proposals have been made such that a physically handicapped person such as the visually handicapped can live a friendly, convenient, and comfortable life. The assignee of the present invention has researched and developed various products suitable for providing information to handicapped persons in order to meet such needs.
In order to provide predetermined information to the visually handicapped person, the information presented by audio data is proposed at first. As a tool for giving the information using audio data, there has been provided a tool using the conventionally known compact cassette tape for recording/reproducing audio data. The audio cassette tape, however, has been increasing in size, similarly to the apparatus for reproducing the data from it. Further, the unit cost of the tape as the medium is not negligibly small. In addition, a handicapped person cannot easily deal with the audio tape and the reproducing apparatus. As described above, the conventional tool using audio data needs to be improved in various points. The same may be said of an IC memory card, the applicability of which has been beginning to be enhanced in recent years.
In the meantime, the assignee of the present invention has invented a dot code as a two-dimensional code pattern for printing audio data on a printing medium such as paper in an optically readable form, and a code reading apparatus for reproducing information such as original audio information by manually scanning the dot code to optically read it, as proposed in U.S. Ser. No. 08/407,018.
FIG. 1 shows the physical format of the dot code.
More specifically, a code pattern 1 of a dot code comprises a plurality of blocks 2 arranged two-dimensionally adjacent to each other. Each of the blocks 2 comprises a data area 3, markers 4, and block address patterns 5. In the data area 3, the audio data is represented as a dot image comprises a collection of white or black dots which correspond to "0" or "1" (the white dots have the same color as that of the background, and thus are not present in the block in FIG. 1) and arranged in a predetermined form. The markers 4 are used to find reference points for detecting dots 6 in the data area 3. The markers 4 comprise a predetermined number of serial black dots, and each is arranged at a respective corner of the block 2. The block address patterns 5 are arranged between the markers 4 so that the plurality of different blocks 2 can be discriminated in reading. The block address patterns 5 each include an error detection or error correction signal.
Accordingly, with use of the dot code having the physical format as mentioned above, the original data can be reconstructed by collecting the data of each block on the basis of the address when the address given to the each block can be identified, even if an imaging area 7 of a reading apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is smaller than the area of the entire dot code. In other words, even if the dot code cannot be read in one-shot by the solid-state imaging element such as a CCD of the reading apparatus, the data can be reconstructed. As a result, various uses of the printed audio data, which cannot be realized with use of the conventional technique, can be expected: a large amount data recording on a sheet or the like can be realized, which cannot have been realized with use of the conventionally known one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code; and the transmission of the audio information can be easily and economically attained using paper as a medium.
In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the inventor of the present invention has thought that the recording method using a medium such as paper on which audio information is recorded as an optically readable code pattern (like the dot code pattern and the reproducing apparatus proposed in the U.S. Ser. No. 08/407,018) is preferable to that using the compact cassette tape or an IC memory card, in synthetic consideration of the capacity for recording information, the merit in cost in printing the code pattern, and the handiness in reproducing the information. Particularly, as a tool to be used for providing information to a handicapped person, it was determined to be optimal.
However, the following improvements need to be performed for a visually handicapped person, for example, to manually and easily read the printed code pattern without any difficulty or any help:
Firstly, the position at which the printed code pattern is arranged must be precisely recognized. Secondly, a reading apparatus must be correctly moved on the recognized code pattern without meandering to read the printed dot code pattern correctly.
It can be said, therefore, that the above described code pattern cannot prove its merit for handicapped person until the above-mentioned problems are solved.